LAKE FOREST, Ill. - With the Bears set to report to training camp Tuesday at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, general manager Jerry Angelo discussed key issues involving the team exclusively with ChicagoBears.com:
What aspect of the team is most improved from last year at this time?
I would say the secondary. I feel we have quality players at all four of the positions and we have quality depth. There will be some real good competition in training camp with R.W. McQuarters and Jerry Azumah at cornerback and with Bobby Gray in there at the safety position. Todd Johnson's back and Cameron Worrell will get better. The secondary will be one of our real positions of strength and that's good because that's where the big plays happen to the good and to the bad. We feel real good about our skill there. I'd like to also mention our offensive line. I think the anticipation of it being good to very good is merited. We're optimistic that all those pieces will come together and we're looking forward to camp and seeing that happen.
What aspect of the team are you most concerned about?
There's no area where we feel we're void, where we really have to work around. There are areas where obviously we're inexperienced, but we have talent there. The defensive line is an example of that. We know Alex Brown. Alfonso Boone's got a lot of play time. He's got to take that next step. I feel good that he will. Michael Haynes has got to take that step this year. And we have two talented rookies in Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson-really three rookies when you bring Claude Harriott into the mix. We have the pieces, the experience is what we're missing. But there's some good talent there. The same could be said for the quarterback position as well. Rex Grossman got some abbreviated play time at the end of the season, and watching him develop will be important too. We feel very good about the talent overall at all the positions. The experience factor is probably the biggest thing.
What situation will you be monitoring closet in training camp?
You can make a case that except for the secondary, you could say at any of the positions that we need to evaluate certain players accurately and obviously continue to develop certain players. That probably could be said with the rest of the team. There's no one position and/or one guy (to monitor) as it was last year with the left tackle position. That's the good news, because we feel that we have enough parts and that's the base you start from. We just have to watch these guys to continue to develop and make sure we're smart in how we utilize our play time during the preseason to make sure we see enough of certain players to accurately evaluate them.
At what position will the most intriguing competition take place?
It'll be competitive at the receiver position, not only with Justin Gage and David Terrell but we have Jamin Elliott, Ahmad Merritt and even Jimmy Fryzel has shown some good things. We've got a pretty good core of receivers. Bobby Wade is right in the mix as well. We're also anxious to see what Bernard Berrian looks like. We'd like to think that that's going to be a position of strength. Lovie Smith enters his first season as Bears head coach with a sense of urgency.
What has impressed you most about Lovie Smith in his first six months on the job?
Lovie brings a lot of confidence to our football team. He's very confident in what we're doing both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He's been even keel, but there's a sense of urgency. Winning is now, and he feels strongly about that. It's hard to explain somebody's intangibles, but he's got some extraordinary intangibles and I think he's going to be a fine, fine leader for our team and I'm real excited about him and the staff.
Rex Grossman has only made three NFL starts and is learning a new system. What type of growing pains will he experience and what are your expectations for him?
I'm expecting Rex to win right now. There will be the growing pains, yes, because of the experience factor. But Rex has played in a lot of big games in his career. He's played in full houses, so he's understanding of that type of environment, both at home and on the road. That was part of why we drafted Rex, because he's been in that kind of arena. It's just a matter of him now doing it and we feel real good. He's been exemplary in the offseason in terms of his work habits. He has a sense of urgency. He gets it, and because of that, I feel very confident going into the season that he's going to take that next step.
What does Rex have to do to have a successful season?
Rex Grossman will be asked to execute the offense and not win games by himself in his first full year as a starter. He just has to execute the offense; learn it, make sure he's comfortable with it, and obviously our coaches have to make sure they (determine) what he can do the best and accentuate on that. That could be said at most any position, but particularly at that position. What we want him to do is to be the piece that he can be and to execute the offense, and I feel he knows that.
You signed Thomas Jones to go along with Anthony Thomas in the backfield. What scenario do you envision in the backfield this season?
There are enough footballs for both Anthony Thomas and Thomas Jones. They've both got roles within the offense. They have distinctive styles. Anthony and Thomas Jones are not alike in anything for that matter. You get a different flavor with each, but both have a role with this offense. Yes, Thomas will probably get the majority of the work, but that's not to say that Anthony won't have an integral role. He will. You need two good backs in this league and we feel we have them. Anthony Thomas will still have a role on offense despite the arrival of free agent running back Thomas Jones.
The A-Train voiced concerns over being under-utilized by the previous coaching staff. How concerned are you that he won't be willing to accept a reduced role?
Anthony is the consummate pro. All players want to play more. I've never been around a real good player who wasn't a great competitor. All great competitors want the ball, they want to be on the field. If he didn't have that attitude, that would be disappointing. That's what makes him what he is. He knows that he's going to get the football and he's got to take advantage of those times and that's what he's going to do. And we have to watch it evolve. If what he does is going real well, then he'll get fed more. I just feel that when we go into camp and we go into the preseason, that the coaches will be open-minded. We're still in an evolving process right now. That will take care of itself.
How excited are you about the offensive line after bolstering it with free agents John Tait and Ruben Brown?
The problem with the offensive line for us in the last two years has been injuries. It's the one position where an injury probably creates more havoc than at any other position, given that they're a unit that doesn't necessarily have to be the most talented guys, but the guys that have to play together. So the continuity is real important there. If we get that, I feel our offensive line will be very good. There are some good football players and some athletic guys. We've got good strength, we've got good toughness and in most cases we bring a lot of experience to all those positions.
What are your expectations for David Terrell, and would you say that this is a make-or-break year for him?
Yes, it is a make-or-break year for David. He's got to do it. He knows it. We know it. He's been very, very good in the offseason. He works hard in the weight room. He's been working very hard on the field. He's an intense competitor. He wants to be a great player. He understands what the life in the fish bowl has been. He's seen his murky water and he wants to ascend to the level that we all anticipated when we drafted him. If things don't happen the way he and we anticipate them to happen, it won't be a lack of effort on his part.
Lovie Smith has said that he'd like both of the defensive ends in his system to register double-digit sacks. Is there that type of potential on the Bears' roster?
We feel that both Alex Brown and Michael Haynes have the tools to do those things. It's not easy to do, but they have the tools to do them. We just have to wait and see how they develop. But we're confident that they have the ability. Obviously we're more confident at this point with Alex because of the experience factor and it's time for Michael to show what he can do.
What are your expectations for rookie defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson?
They're both very, very talented players. Those two inside tackle positions are key to our defense, and we feel very good about them. How it plays itself out obviously will be determined by them and the coaches. It's hard to (expect) the rookies to come in that first year and have a tremendous impact. You rarely see that happen in the league, really at any position, so we don't want to put any more pressure on them than they do themselves. But they're very good and I would be surprised if they didn't get quality playing time. We'll just see where it goes from there.
How concerned are you about Tommie Harris holding out of training camp?
I'm concerned about any rookie that's not in camp. They know the importance as I hope their agents do that getting off on the right foot-and that means being in on camp, being part of the team right from the start-is very, very important. That's an intangible that's hard to measure.
Do you anticipate he'll be in camp on time?
We feel very good that we'll get this done. We've been down this path before; it's negotiations. I can't sit here and tell you what little something we're going through right now that's going to turn it. It's just part of the course and we're running it. I know Tommie wants to be in camp on time, his agent wants that, we want it, so I don't see any reason why that's not going to happen.
Quarterbacking Lovie Smith's attacking defense, Brian Urlacher should produce more impact plays than he did last season. Lovie Smith's scheme seems to be tailor-made for Brian Urlacher. What are your expectations for your Pro Bowl middle linebacker?
I was happy to see over the weekend he made that statement that he wants to be the defensive player of the year, and there's no reason he can't. His hungriness, his passion for the game and his work ethic have been exemplary and have been throughout his career. It's Brian's time and we feel very strongly that this very well could be his best year and this year will be what he will be from here on out. Not necessarily because of the scheme-the scheme will help-but it's his time.
With new schemes on offense, defense and special teams, how realistic a goal is making the playoffs in Lovie Smith's first season?
They're realistic every year. I'm not going to say that they're unrealistic because of the new staff and the new schemes. It makes it a little more difficult. The percentages say that that's not realistic, but I feel that it is given the fact that I like our football team. I like the energy that our staff brings to our players and the way our players have responded to that. There's an intangible in our game that's very, very important. I feel we have that intangible. What's that worth on Sunday? It's hard to say, but it's such a fine line between winning and losing that I feel that that intangible gives you an edge. I feel very good about going into the season. Naturally, there are going to be growing pains. I don't think anybody can sit here and tell you for sure how fast things are going to come together. We'll be moving as fast as we can, but not to the point where we'll be unsound.
from chicagobears.com
